Climate Related SDGS

11.5 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

13.a Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.b Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The third and final round of discussions has now ended. In the last two weeks, we talked mostly about possible solutions to tackle the water predicament. The discussed ideas cover forums that raise awareness about this issue, techniques (e.g. level contours), new technologies, legislation, investment, among others. It became clear that to advance this topic, it is necessary to invest in education and innovation.

We would like to thank you all for participating, sharing your ideas and experiences. The content of our discussions will be presented to the Forum in a special session. We hope to see you soon at the Forum!

The third and final round of discussions has now ended. In the last two weeks, we talked mostly about possible solutions to tackle the water predicament. The discussed ideas cover forums that raise awareness about this issue, techniques (e.g. level contours), new technologies, legislation, investment, among others. It became clear that to advance this topic, it is necessary to invest in education and innovation.

We would like to thank you all for participating, sharing your ideas and experiences. The content of our discussions will be presented to the Forum in a special session. We hope to see you soon at the Forum!

• Avoid new ventures in areas of risk and reallocation in areas of final risk.

• Improvement or creation of flood warning and correction systems.

• Promotion of design and anti-flooding materials for buildings.

According with the researches Nobre, Marengo and Tomasella, a problem in existing impact studies about resources water is their strongly sectoral character. The different
Uses of water, whether or not consultative, are strongly interdependent. For example,
The expansion of the irrigated area has effects on downstream energy generation. Therefore, the
lack of integrated approaches to the use of water Context of climate change, if the direction of the changes
added to the expansion of demand by water due to population increase and temperature will or will not have a synergistic effect
among the possible future uses of the resource. In my opinion another item will be the study integrated of impact about the water resources and the demand by water.

In my opinion the clean energy is the most important environment development for the next decades in the cities. Because the pollution in the urban centers have made diseases in the people.The growth of the cars in the cities, the growth of the industries, the demograph groth, the growth of pollution in cities will make the people to change their habits for the environment.

In my opinion the clean energy is the most important environment development for the next decades in the cities. Because the pollution in the urban centers have made diseases in the people.The growth of the cars in the cities, the growth of the industries, the demograph groth, the growth of pollution in cities will make the people to change their habits for the environment.

In my oppinion the Oportunities will are the Education for this new sustentable development and the news technologies, inovation and criative solutions.

The Challenge? Who, What, Whose, When, Where will finance these new solutions and these news inovations.

The Oportunities: Dissemination water legislation for all, creating and participating in river basin commitees, at meetings, increasing social participation in planning of the watersheds.

The Challenge? Who, What, When, Which, Where will born new technologies and new methods of educations and participation for the people in the watersheds and the New Midias (TVs programs, others technologies), the system of monitoring the quality and amount of rivers in watersheds, the plans of watersheds and the actions and projects of recuperation of rivers and Ecosystems (the Ecosystems of the watersheds), will made new Biofuels and new Biodigesters. The human resources for researchs in the planet would be create for digital work (on line) for various projects in many Universities in the countries. The multidisciplinary work and the interdisciplinary work will be very important for the researchs climate change in next years. Reuse of water in homes and building, use of rainwater too. This depends of Legislation and technical standarts for this reuse. One Challenger too: the planning of the buildings of the cities. The industries too, the reuse and use of rainwater in the production line. Planning.

Hi Maria, thanks for sharing your opinion. As you have pointed out very well, developing new technologies and financing these new solutions are relevant challenges we have to face in order to advance this agenda.

With changes in the planet's climate we will suffer from waterborne diseases, those related to the lack of solid waste treatment and the lack of basic sanitation. This is a great challenge in this century. Many of our cities, especially those in metropolitan areas are experiencing a very high population growth rate and investing in basic sanitation is very important. I consider it a great challenge to train professionals, create jobs and invest in the basic sanitation of cities and metropolitan areas. In addition, the consumption of drinking water depends on the sanitary treatment of water.

With changes in the planet's climate we will suffer from waterborne diseases, those related to the lack of solid waste treatment and the lack of basic sanitation. This is a great challenge in this century. Many of our cities, especially those in metropolitan areas are experiencing a very high population growth rate and investing in basic sanitation is very important. I consider it a great challenge to train professionals, create jobs and invest in the basic sanitation of cities and metropolitan areas. In addition, the consumption of drinking water depends on the sanitary treatment of water.

As opportunities we have the potential of young people who want to study and work, new technologies, development and technological innovation, equipment that collaborates for the progress of science and partnerships with research and teaching institutions. We also have opportunities for environmental legislation in some countries, environmental and sanitary education for young people, and the investment that has been made in education in recent years by some states and countries, forming new multipliers. Another factor is the existence of ample material on the subject, available in digital media, videos, podcasts, films, CDs, DVDs. Technology in favor of the population, generating knowledge.

Satisfaction to be able to talk with everyone, about the topics that were raised during the discussions and presentations by all participants of the His Voz Portal.

I would like to ask all the Moderators and those responsible for the Your Voices Portal of the 8th World Water Forum to keep the portal open during the presentations, discussions and after the presentations of the proposals by the participants in the Portal, the presentation of the contributions to the President of the World Water Forum and all representatives of the participating countries.

I believe that these actions will serve to change the reality of several countries, including Brassil and the Federal District, that cross water and social crises, taking from the vulnerability, populations that need not only the governmental and international financial resources, to reverse the calamity (floods - deaths that could be avoided), as well as to give people and society the opportunity to accompany the governments and the actions taken at the 8th World Water Forum - to be held in Brasília - Federal District, so that we necessary resources, voice and time to accompany and have greater social control over governmental resources - permanent projects and programs aimed at guaranteeing quality water for all the families of the planet, thus raising human dignity, with studies, use of new technologies, the presenvation of the springs, water courses, areas of permanent preservation.

Therefore, believing in the condition of ensuring that the Seu Voz Portal is maintained after the 8th World Water Forum, I place the entire disposition of those responsible for forming a working group of organized civil society, socio-environmental entities, members of the Academies, Government , Entrepreneur, to follow the results of the deliberations in each country participating in the 8th Forum, to guarantee financial resources, development of projects and programs for water resources.

Certain of being contemplated in my requests, I put the whole disposition with my Students of the Center of High School Taguatinga North - Brasília - Federal District.

Report on the participation of the Students of the Taguatinga Norte High School - Brasília / Federal District, during the 5th National Conference on the Youth and Environment of the Federal District, coordinated by the Education Department of the Federal District , where they had the great opportunity to participate in the event, enriching the knowledge, which had as its theme: Let's take care of Brazil, taking care of the waters.

Taguatinga North High School

Professor Coordinator: Davi Silva Fagundes

I Report of the participation of the Students of the Taguatinga Norte High School in the Fifth National Conference of the Children and Youth of the Environment of the Federal District

Location: EAPE - School of Improvement of Education Professionals of the Federal District

Date: 2/27/2018 Shift: Daytime

Both in the programming of the thematic workshops and in the lectures given by the organs present on the first day of the V CNIJMA - National Youth Children's Conference of the Federal District, we could see not only the presentation and discussion of the theme of this year "Let's take care of the Brazil taking care of the waters, "but we could also have contact with projects already carried out in schools in the Federal District and others that are still in this process, and this we saw through those responsible for the event and also through the contact with other DF institutions present, some of the principles presented by the Youth Collective of the Federal District: "Youth educates young people" and "one generation learns from the other".

On that first day, we could also see in a very comprehensive way, not only for the theme, but also for being a major problem today our protagonist "the water".

We became aware of problems that result in water scarcity, such as population increase, irregular systems for water capitation, poor use of water by the population, being in a larger domestic area, but also having great relevance in the industrial and agricultural areas.

Soon after the presentation of these problems, some solutions have been put in place, some of which are already being implemented and others that unfortunately are far from being considered by our current government. And being our preparation as one of the objectives of this conference, during the whole process in that first instant we were instructed to the future stages (new conferences), by the question "how to elaborate a project?". Question that was answered in four steps.

Finally, in the thematic workshops, being the red color used by the CEMTN Students (a way that the organizers of the event used to separate groups of young people in these thematic workshops), I could be more aware of the true situation that we are living today in the scarcity of water resources, that from the mistaken thoughts of years ago today we live this reality that water is finite and that every day we are closer to your lack and further away from taking action to avoid this.

And beyond this awareness in workshops, we were able to put projects in practice, such as composting, we understand better about recycling and its importance and how it affects the lives of many waste pickers.

As a result of this first day, we could see that the environment directly affects our society in everything from quality of life to economic and social development, among others.

The last 4 weeks discussions were exclusively not target in climate, but in preservation of water with particular cases being cited. Responsibility for the management of water was questioned. The vulnerable populations to climate change were considered as suffering the same issues related to poor sanitary and housing standards. It was cited that in India the presence of great montains have an effect over climate changing and that rapid changes in climate is becoming more harmful for agricluture in that country.

The last 4 weeks discussions were exclusively not target in climate, but in preservation of water with particular cases being cited. Responsibility for the management of water was questioned. The vulnerable populations to climate change were considered as suffering the same issues related to poor sanitary and housing standards. It was cited that in India the presence of great montais have an effect over climate changing and that rapid changes in climate is becoming more harmful for agricluture in that country.

The presence of the great mountain mass formed by the Himalayas and its spurs on the North and of the ocean on the South are the two major influences operating on the climate of India. The first poses an impenetrable barrier to the influence of cold winds from central Asia, and gives the sub-continent the elements of tropical type of climate. The second, which is the source of cool moisture-laden winds reaching India, gives it the elements of the oceanic type of climate.

The presence of the great mountain mass formed by the Himalayas and its spurs on the North and of the ocean on the South are the two major influences operating on the climate of India. The first poses an impenetrable barrier to the influence of cold winds from central Asia, and gives the sub-continent the elements of tropical type of climate. The second, which is the source of cool moisture-laden winds reaching India, gives it the elements of the oceanic type of climate.

India has a very great diversity and variety of climate and an even greater variety of weather conditions. The climate ranges from continental to oceanic, from extremes of heat to extremes of cold, from extreme aridity and negligible rainfall to excessive humidity and torrential rainfall. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid any genralisation as to the prevalence of any particular kind of climate, not only over the country as a whole but over major areas in it. The climatic condition influences to a great extent the water resources utilisation of the country.

In many cities the agriculture will be impacted and many people will be impacted too. The food security and the sustentable agriculture are importants but the rains, the hurricanes, the earthquakers, the typhoons,others will be very strongers next decades because the climate change.

In Brazil the dry and the floods are very stronger in last years due the El nino and the La nina (phenomen in waters of Pacific Ocean, causing heating in waters).

The outstanding discoveries by Indian scientists have created a confidence that climate related SDGS could be achieved in shorter times.

CSIR, the leading research organisations through its National chemical laboratory, has developed an artificial lab that absorbs sunlight to generate hydrogen fuel from water. Another lab, NEERI has developed a low cost automatic mechanical urinal toilet flusher ,which can be used in rural and urban areas. Another division, NIIST has developed a technique to convert discarded cotton stalks into a clean fuel-bioethanol.

Another interesting data reveals that an Indian on an average consumes about 2458 calories from different foodstuff every day. So every person consumes about 5.7 lakh litres of water every year for food cosumption and household activities.

A22 year old student has developed a device ,Dewdrop that fills and refills itself with potable water. He has designed 3D printed apparatus which uses moisture from the air to create water. This self filling water apparatus produces pure drinkable water from thin humid air. In an hour this device can extract 1.8 litres of water from air. This device is beneficial where water resources are in limited quantities.

Overpopulation, urbanization,industrialisation make the city crowded,polluted,unhygenic one. Also this city is lacking of good water,pure air,,infertile soil, epidemic environment having food,water,energy scarcity. Health is affected due to this situation.

Scientists should come out with solution rather than highlighting problems. A cluster of members of stakeholder is to be formed. The role of effective science communicators,environment communicators,health community is highly needed to create an awareness among the public.

Opportunities based on the theories of Inclusive Development is plentiful. Whenever there are impacts of climate change in a certain region on the surface of the Earth - such as droughts or hurricanes etc., the first issue that would crop up in the human settlements is ill - health. This illnesses could lead to disabilities in the human individuals which could be life - long. Hence the concept of Inclusive Development rises as a solution to the causes and effects of climate change. Inclusion and the concept of Accessibility provides innumerable technological, which is in the subject and research areas of Information and Communication Technologies implementation taskforces....Read more

Opportunities based on the theories of Inclusive Development is plentiful. Whenever there are impacts of climate change in a certain region on the surface of the Earth - such as droughts or hurricanes etc., the first issue that would crop up in the human settlements is ill - health. This illnesses could lead to disabilities in the human individuals which could be life - long. Hence the concept of Inclusive Development rises as a solution to the causes and effects of climate change. Inclusion and the concept of Accessibility provides innumerable technological, which is in the subject and research areas of Information and Communication Technologies implementation taskforces. This would lead to the contribution of equality in multiple dimensions. It brings about tools and techniques of utilization by the specially - abled persons which would thus mainstream them into the main sections of society.

Challenges would refer to the organizational changes and reforms in the industry sector. There would also be presence of employment generation procedures in the phases of the industrial reforms and transformation. This would be due to the fact of occurrence of restructuring in the processes and mandates in the organization. These challenges would be ideally managed by the employees of the industry sector, which would be included in the reforms mandates.

THank you for bringing the concepts of inclusion and accessibility to our attention. I might mention that Topic 1.d is amined at covering some of these aspects and highlighting solutions that employ these concepts.

A while ago, I posted a comment regarding deterioration of the quality of atmospheric precipitation (snow, rain) and the experiences that you may have on this topic. Please share with me your ideas and findings on this issue. I think this is a considerable problem that is associated with climate change.

Thank you. The initial comment was posted on 4 or 5 January. I received a few comments afterwards. I am particulary interested to find out about the consequences of climate change on the quality (EC and pH and chemical composition) of snow and rain.

In short, very certain. Over 97 percent of climate scientists agree that man-made climate change is a reality. Virtually every national academy of science on Earth agrees. In an urgent letter to the members of the US Congress, the leaders of 18 different major scientific associations wrote, “Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occurring, and rigorous scientific research demonstrates that the greenhouse gases emitted by human activities are the primary driver.” The Earth has experienced cycles of warming and cooling in the past, but experts believe the current warming trend is “proceeding at a rate that is unprecedented in the past 1,300 years.” For comparison’s sake, climate scientists have estimated the planet has previously taken around 5,000 years to recover – by warming between 4-7 degrees Celsius – after an ice age has ended. In the twentieth century alone, the average surface temperature increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius – a rate eight times faster than a typical post-ice-age-recovery. And this cycle is rapidly accelerating.

We know the Earth is getting hotter. The following data comes from satellites and a host of other measurements: • The world has already warmed about 0.8 degrees Celsius (1.5 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880. • Fifteen of the 16 hottest years on record have occurred in the twenty-first century. • We’re not getting more heat energy from the sun to drive this warming, according to NASA. 11 Furthermore, average ocean temperatures have risen 0.3 degrees since 1969. • Warmer oceans mean less sea ice, particularly in the Arctic, where the extent and thickness of sea ice have declined rapidly over the last several decades. • The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have shrunk: in just the last decade, 2 trillion tons of ice from the Greenland ice sheet has made its way into the Atlantic Ocean as fresh water. • This melting ice – including glaciers across the world, which are retreating at an alarming rate – has accelerated sea-level rise, which is not great news for the half of the world’s population living within 60 km of the sea. • Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere leads oceans to become 30 percent more acidic since the nineteenth century since oceans absorb greater levels of carbon dioxide and turn it into carbonic acid. • The greater acidity prevents shellfish from building healthy skeletons and causes coral reefs to bleach and die off, with ripple effects up and down the food chain. And that’s just the oceans. Scientists have also traced strong connections between rising temperatures and greenhouse gases on one hand and increasingly frequent and dangerous storms, longer droughts, increasing danger from wildfires, and changes to the global water cycle on the other.

climate change and water cycle.

The water vapour that feeds precipitation comes from two sources. One study concludes that about 60 percent of the rain and snow that falls over land comes from moisture originating from the oceans, and the other 40 percent is “recycled” over the continents. China, for example, gets most of its rain and snow from evaporation over Eurasia. As the atmosphere gets warmer, it can hold more moisture. The intensity of downpours (and therefore the risk of floods) depends in part on how much water the air can hold at a given time. The rate of evaporation from the ocean is increasing as the world warms. Think about heating a large pot of water on your stove – the higher you turn the dial, the faster the water evaporates. Pretty much the same thing happens with the planet, and globally, this higher rate of evaporation contributes to more extreme rain and snow events.

As temperatures rise, evaporation increases and soils dry out. When rain does come, it often falls as a violent downpour that doesn’t do much to help crops or other plants. Instead of gently soaking into the soil, the water hits very hard ground and runs off, often causing disastrous flooding before draining into rivers and being carried back to the sea. The soil remains mostly dry, and the increased global temperature results in still more evaporation and further increased risk of drought.

At the same time, climate change is also shifting our weather patterns, meaning that areas where we used to expect a steady amount of rainfall are now experiencing more unpredictable and extreme precipitation, sometimes with little to no rain between downpours. And two key sources of water for many people worldwide – snowpack and glaciers – are melting faster and not being replaced, in part, because of consistently warmer weather.

As worldwide temperatures continue to increase, storms are able to absorb more energy from the resultant warmer oceans. Hurricanes and typhoons thus arrive ashore with intense and damaging winds, very heavy rainfall, and higher storm surges, leading to devastating coastal damage and loss of life. In a nutshell, hurricanes and typhoons are expected to become more intense and likely more damaging thanks to climate change. In the northwestern Pacific Ocean alone, typhoons have become about 10 percent more damaging since the 1970s, with even stronger storms expected in the future. Meteorologically speaking, hurricanes and typhoons are largely one in the same phenomenon but are given different names depending on where in the world they occur. Both hurricanes and typhoons are strong tropical cyclones, which are storms that form over warm ocean waters, have a well-defined center of circulation and feed off of heat energy from the ocean. Of course, no discussion of tropical cyclones and the world’s oceans can be had without mentioning one of the most foreboding consequences of climate change: sea-level rise. Rising oceans around the world further increase the risk for even higher storm surge from hurricanes and typhoons that travels further inland with more severe flooding likely to occur. Now is probably a good time to remind you that eight of the 10 largest cities in the world are near a coast.

Once you start hearing about drought conditions, wildfires typically are not far behind. That’s because droughts create a perfect situation for a hungry wildfire to thrive by drying out the land and killing plant life, turning the affected area into a tinderbox. Now, with precipitation less predictable than ever, as explained above, it’s become even more challenging to stop these fires once they begin. Thanks to rising temperatures, shorter winters, and longer summers, western US wildfire frequency has increased by 400 percent since 1970. Damaging wildfires have occurred in recent years in places like California, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, leaving communities and governments with millions of dollars in damages, in addition to the incalculable cost of the lost plant, animal, and even human life. Sadly, disasters are bound to occur – that’s Mother Nature at work. But scientists tell us that human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, caused the increase in atmospheric temperatures that are impacting the global water cycle today to devastating effect. It’s up to each and everyone one of us to do our part and help spread truthful information about climate change to our networks of friends, peers, and family members. We have the practical, clean-energy solutions to make a complete transition to a renewable energy economy and ease the burden on our world’s oceans, coastal communities, drought-prone areas, and much more.

Gal-Mobile is an independent, integrated water purification vehicle, designed to produce high-quality drinking water.It can be useful in natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, military use in difficult terrain and rural areas to provide drinkable water.

Sources said that Israel will share the technology with India, and soon more such cars will be available in other theatres of conflict. The Gal-Mobile vehicle costs around Rs 70 lakh a piece.

Such new technologies are highly needed to sustain the good compatible water supply to the society in the event of climate change phenomenon.

I would like to point out that sustainability will emerge only from the designing, demonstrating and implementing the technology that suits to the local condition. The cost-effectiveness is also another parameter to be closely taken into account in developing such technologies.

A good support from the government side to promote scientific and technological advancements should be geared up then only the best brains in science will come out with solutions to the problems.

Identifying and understanding the problem should lead to the path of providing solution. Right from school level, the young minds are to be ignited with the consciousness of creating wonderful technology to overcome the problems emerging out of climate change in all spheres.

I and Daene will help you in the next two weeks of discussions. As you know, "Sustainable Cities and Communities" and "Climate Action" are the main themes of the room in the present phase. Please, continue sending us your comments to sustain the debate.

Climate change is real and unless serious action is taken there is no way back. There is no plan B and unless our space exploration explodes a million fold and we get extremely lucky, we do not have another planet to call home. So climate change is here to stay and will affect everyone -- most of all the marginalised. Within that subset, the vulnerable -- women and children -- are most likely to see its full-blown effects...Read more

Climate change is real and unless serious action is taken there is no way back. There is no plan B and unless our space exploration explodes a million fold and we get extremely lucky, we do not have another planet to call home. So climate change is here to stay and will affect everyone -- most of all the marginalised. Within that subset, the vulnerable -- women and children -- are most likely to see its full-blown effects. Throughout the world, natural disasters and severe weather events tend to impact women more than men. In developing countries, this problem is compounded when several other factors such as malnutrition, inequitable distribution of power and gender roles that are unfavourable to women are added to the mix.

As livelihood is threatened and food shortages are faced, women often prioritise the basic needs of their men and children...

In developing countries, especially in rural areas, women rarely work and tend to be economically dependent on men. As livelihood is threatened and food shortages are faced, women often prioritise the basic needs of their men and children and often go hungry, making them weak and exposing them to malnutrition and other health problems.

Malnutrition becomes an even greater threat when a woman is pregnant or of child-bearing age. Research has shown that health risks increase exponentially when women go longer between meals, making the child more vulnerable to premature birth and other problems and impacting the mother's ability to lactate.

Reduction in family income could also mean that girls' education is given less emphasis -- she is pulled out of school and expected to take care of family chores. Girls who complete primary and secondary education are likely to earn more income, get married at the early age, get conceived at the early age. When women are deprived of an education, the cycle of dependence on men, both economically and culturally, continues.

Climate change has a significant impact on the availability of fresh water resources. Often in rural areas, it is the job of women or girls to fetch water. In this case as well the needs of men are given precedence and this affects the sanitation requirements of girls and women. Across India, roughly 600 million people (more than 53% of the population) do not have access to toilets. This is not only raises the risk of disease epidemics but also has an impact on the physical safety of women.

Besides water, women in rural areas also depend more directly on local natural resources because they are primarily tasked with securing means of heating and cooking. Climate change can alter how easily those resources are accessed. Also women, historically, have limited access to family's decision-making and economic assets making it harder for them to cope with the effects of climate change. Cultural norms can add to this issue -- women may not be able to travel without a male companion or their clothing might impede their ability to quickly navigate to safety. Besides, not being empowered with information can also hinder their ability to access resources in times of natural disasters or other climate change effects.

Regardless of gender or place of residence, ultimately climate change will affect us all. However, for women and girls, especially in rural India, it will hit harder and faster than for the rest of us.

India’s hitch with water scarcity is not new. Despite India’s rapid development and urbanization, industrial and domestic water users in India consume 10 percent and 8 percent respectively, while the agricultural sector consumes 82 percent of total supply. But the consumption needs of the middle class will continue to drive domestic as well as industrial demand at a high clip. This express growth, combined with limited water supply and the continuing importance of agriculture, illustrates the critical need for improved WUE in India.

India’s hitch with water scarcity is not new. Despite India’s rapid development and urbanization, industrial and domestic water users in India consume 10 percent and 8 percent respectively, while the agricultural sector consumes 82 percent of total supply. But the consumption needs of the middle class will continue to drive domestic as well as industrial demand at a high clip. This express growth, combined with limited water supply and the continuing importance of agriculture, illustrates the critical need for improved WUE in India.

States like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, have made substantial headways in reforming their water institutions and governance structures by adopting legislation to promote participatory irrigation management. Presently, the deliberation in India is focused on how to negate the existing irrigation inefficiency and low crop yields and how to restructure irrigation departments so that they can become competent to improve water delivery process. Understanding best practices from other countries and India’s own community-based interventions models will help present policy thinkers and planners to enhance governance structures and understand key indicators that can assist in data-driven decision-making.

A comprehensive multidisciplinary effort is necessary to enhance the efficiency of institutional reform and therefore help the agricultural sector maximize efficient water use and distribution.

The worth of the know-how of the hydrological cycle is fundamental to solving a variety of water management problems. For a long-term institutional change, a basin or watershed perspective needs to be maintained. A key feature of decentralization should be an increasing importance being attached to river basin or watershed irrigation management. Basin WUAs can be designed and formulated on hydrologic rather than on administrative boundaries. Understanding and interpreting the hydrology is important for water management institutions and/or subsequent reform because it allows for an integrated approach to management as well as for resolving regional water allocation conflict. There is a latent need to incorporate more scientific data measurements, data management, and dissemination to improve long-term WUE beyond basic administrative institutional reform. Scientific data collection and monitoring (including field reconnaissance) should be undertaken before reform is considered both during management implementation and within consistent intervals post-reform. Some of these data collection efforts should include:

Another point that needs wider acceptance is the time-scale variability of various natural (hydrologic) processes. For example, in the case of rainfall, effects such as water-level increases in rivers at various intervals can be observed, since, in large basins, change can be days, weeks or months. Individual cases for WUE can also vary distinctly. In some cases, hydrologic changes occur very quickly such as during flash floods or short period rainfalls when the effects appear immediately and water levels in aquifers and rivers have dramatic changes. In these situations, measurement training to effectively help deal with irrigation management, particularly distribution, will be necessary.

Third, for small-scale irrigation users, a contractor from the village should be used for repairs and other maintenance issues. This will create a sense of ownership and belong among the users, improve maintenance of the infrastructure, bring financial discipline, cost recovery, better regulation and overall sustainability. This also alleviates the financial burden of the government in terms of subsidies and manpower reduction. The most efficient method of accomplishing the contracting method is to give incentives leading to water use improvements in the first year as this policy requires minimal technological investment for reducing overall water use. The contractor would then incorporate WUAs into the management of the irrigation operation. This is a cost-effective way to maintain efficient functioning of irrigation systems and can lead to better performance without additional investment.

In order to implement PIM by reforming existing institutions in India, governments must understand that the primary goal is to increase water use efficiency and how to measure its success. Therefore, to assess the efficacy of the transfer of irrigation management to WUAs, the performance of the irrigation system must be measured. Some of the criteria could be to measure the maintenance expenditure per metre of the canal and the changes in water fee collection. Also, it should be assessed as to what extent, water fees covers the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs.

Central governments or irrigation departments should also promote training for WUAs, assign the roles and responsibilities to different actors, and extend technical support towards management of the irrigation system. Although this involves transaction costs, in the long run this would vastly improve the efficiency and sustainability of the irrigation system. If farmers were convinced that the associated benefits of their participation exceed the costs, they would extend their active cooperation and be willing to pay the irrigation charges provided they are assured of dependable supply.

If institutional reform measures are undertaken in areas where any management system does not exist, then two additional performance indicators could be taken into consideration. First, dependability of irrigation interval can be tracked that would determine whether the interval between irrigations is either planned (such as in a planned irrigation rotation regime) or dictated by the crop’s soil moisture status. This indicator allows irrigation planners during reform projects to determine whether a crop is contributing to the inefficient use of water based on the environmental conditions of the region. Second, water delivery efficiency should be measured at main canal intakes and offtakes to the tertiary unit. This value changes based on the season (monsoon or drought) in which it is measured.

I believe that for the achievement of the objectives, the "political - scientific dialogue" is a challenge.

If the ruling political class is not "sensitized" to the issue, it is very difficult to achieve changes. But if the scientific community does not take into account the objectives of the political class, to incorporate in the decisions, it is not easy to achieve things.

I have done some research on Temporal Changes in the Chemical Composition and Salinity of Wet atmospheric precipitation (Rain and snow) in a few cities in Iran. A gentle increase in the salinity of atmospheric precipitation has been observed, while at the same time, some decrease in the quantity of atmospheric precipitation has been recorded (for the years studied). It seems that increase in the salinity of atmospheric precipitation is due to a) decrease in quantity of precipitation and b) increase in aerosols and air pollution. I would like to hear from everyone who has an experience in this field. Particularly, I want to ask whether anybody knows of the ways to differentiate between the impacts of decrease in precipitation quantity and increase in air pollution (on the salinity of atmospheric precipitation). For instance, 20% of the increase in atmospheric precipitation salinity is due to decline in rainfall, and 80% is due to intensifying air pollution.

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About

The World Water Forum is the world’s biggest water-related event and is organized by the World Water Council (WWC), an international organization that brings together all those interested in the theme of water.